General Agency Policies

APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Please remember to cancel or reschedule 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire fee if cancellation is less than 24 hours.

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The standard meeting time for psychotherapy is 45-minutes. It is up to you, however, to determine the length of time of your sessions. Requests to change the 45-minute session needs to be discussed with the therapist in order for time to be scheduled in advance.

A $35.00 service charge will be charged for any checks returned or credit card charges that are challenged for any reason.

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Cancellations and re-scheduled session will be subject to a full charge if NOT RECEIVED AT LEAST 24HOURS IN ADVANCE. This is necessary because a time commitment is made to you and is held exclusively for you. If you are late for a session, you may lose some of that session time.

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COMMUNICATION POLICIES

TELEPHONE ACCESSIBILITY

If you need to contact me between sessions, please leave a message on my voice mail or send me an e-mail to schedule a time for a phone call. Therapists are often not immediately available; however, your therapist will attempt to return your call within 48 hours. Please note that face- to-face sessions are highly preferable to phone sessions. However, in the event that you are out of town, sick or need additional support, phone sessions are available. If a true emergency situation arises, please call 911 or any local emergency room.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND TELECOMMUNICATION

Due to the importance of your confidentiality and the importance of minimizing dual relationships, your therapist does not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). We believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship. If you have questions about this, please bring them up when we meet and we can talk more about it.

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ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION 

Your therapist and the agency cannot ensure the confidentiality of any form of communication through electronic media, including text messages. If you prefer to communicate via email or text messaging for issues regarding scheduling or cancellations, your therapist will do so. While your therapist may try to return messages in a timely manner, your therapist cannot guarantee immediate response and request that you do not use these methods of communication to discuss therapeutic content and/or request assistance for emergencies.

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MINORS

If you are a minor, your parents may be legally entitled to some information about your therapy. Your therapist will discuss with you and your parents what information is appropriate for them to receive and which issues are more appropriately kept confidential.

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TERMINATION

Ending relationships can be difficult. Therefore, it is important to have a termination process in order to achieve some closure. The appropriate length of the termination depends on the length and intensity of the treatment. Your therapist may terminate treatment after appropriate discussion with you and a termination process if your therapist determine that the psychotherapy is not being effectively used or if you are in default on payment. Your therapist will not terminate the therapeutic relationship without first discussing and exploring the reasons and purpose of terminating. If therapy is terminated for any reason or you request another therapist, your therapist will provide you with a list of qualified psychotherapists to treat you. You may also choose someone on your own or from another referral source.

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Should you fail to schedule an appointment for three consecutive weeks, unless other arrangements have been made in advance, for legal and ethical reasons, your therapist must consider the professional relationship discontinued.

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Camera & Recording Policies

There is no audio or video recording of any kind allowed in the Calming Communities, PLLC suite or on the Calming Communities, PLLC electronic platforms. The only exceptions to this prohibition are recordings obtained through the Calming Communities, PLLC installed cameras.

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Calming Communities, PLLC has two types of cameras installed Five Security Cameras and four Therapeutic Cameras.

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• Security Cameras store recordings only when motion is in the area, through a secure encrypted wifi, onto a HIPAA compliant drive and are automatically erased after 14 days. These videos are not part of any medical record and will not be released without a court order. These recordings are not viewed unless a criminal or safety incident has occurred and exist for the sole purpose of keeping staff and clients safe.

• Therapeutic Cameras are installed in the shared playroom, shared therapy room and in one private office. Neither is recording at any time unless you have given specific consent for a single session of therapy to be recorded for a specific therapeutic or supervisory purpose. If this were to occur your therapist would discuss the purpose of recording, all who may view the recording, storage and deletion of the recording, and obtain a written informed consent for recording from you at that time.

 

Anyone who records anything on-site or on the electronic platforms without explicit, written permission of all individuals on the recording and the owner of Calming Communities, PLLC will be immediately discharged from services and may be pursued with civil action.

 

Artificial Intelligence Use and Policies

Artificial Intelligence(AI) is insufficient and dangerous as a method of therapeutic care or treatment planning. The risks of AI include limited privacy, poor therapeutic responses, high risk advice giving, and its inability to contextualize information. We highly recommend discussing the risks of using AI for therapeutic purposes with your family.

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Calming Communities therapists utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) in very limited ways. The only AI used in relation to client documentation or treatment is the HIPAA compliant AI built into our Electronic Health Record System, Carepatron. This AI does not retain any information based on prompts.

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In Calming Communities, AI may be used to edit documentation and communication for tone, spelling, grammar, and clarity. It is NOT used for diagnosis, treatment planning, or scripting sessions. We do not use or recommend the use of AI for therapeutic purposes.

Outside of Carepatron, AI will only be used in collaboration with clients for creating artistic expressions, exploring the role of AI in client’s daily life and skills, or for demonstration purposes. No client symptoms, description, or identifying information will be entered in this type of use. AI will not be used to create client homework or treatment plans.

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Safety on Site

No intoxication or substances on the premises.

Good therapy requires your entire brain and a safe place. Alcohol, cigarettes or other substances are not permitted on the premises for safety reasons. In addition, coming in intoxicated is highly discouraged. If you are intoxicated to a point where it is disruptive to the office environment or unproductive for therapy, I will ask you to leave the premises for the safety of the other clients and to avoid wasting your time and money on ineffective sessions. We are happy to help you find a safe way home should this occur, and we are happy to work with you on substance use if you like. Similarly, please do not come to the office strongly smelling of smoke. Many of our child clients have asthma or allergies that can be very reactive to cigarette smoke, and it is important that the office is a safe place for them to visit. If your intoxication is a risk to the safety of yourself or others, we will contact police or CYFD to ensure everyone’s safety.

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Complaints or Concerns

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​If you have any concerns, questions or complaints about your treatment or your child's treatment we ask that you come to us directly. We are happy to address any concerns or questions.  You may reach out to any of the following at our agency:

• Your therapist or your child's therapist

• The Owner, Robyn D Reyna, LPC-S, RPT-S, RST (robyn@calmingcommunities.com)

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If you feel we have not addressed your concerns. You may reach out to the Texas Attorney's office or the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Boards through their websites:

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https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint

https://bhec.texas.gov/contact-us/

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